Agents Disrespecting Vacant Houses
21 April 2008 by Aaron Dickinson - Edina Realty
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I have a listing that is vacant. The house is not a foreclosure and it is not a short sale. The house is clean, freshly painted, and has all utilities on. Apparently because it is vacant, agents/their buyers feel that they do not need to afford the same respect they would to an occupied home.
When I arrived for an open house this past weekend, I find:
- All the blinds in the house pulled up (most were down & partially turned open)
- The back sliding door left unlocked & without the security arm down (both of which were done before)
- Carpets pulled up in corners in 3 different parts of the house (there was one corner pulled for demonstration & a description of the hardwood floor locations already)
- Lights left on
- Lamps unplugged
- Concrete block wall kicked to knock paint off the block
- Several windows not secured properly
There were 4-5 showings in the last week so we don’t know who did what when but the fact that all of this was done is simply unacceptable. While buyers sometimes can get a little aggressive when they look at properties, it is the agent’s duty to verify that no damage is done to a property and that the property is left in the condition it is found.
Chances are good that these things were divided over several of the showings. While the little things don’t seem a big deal at the time, they add up quickly with multiple showings. I think that if the agent(s) that did these things experienced something similar themselves that they would be more conscientious of their actions.
2 Responses to “Agents Disrespecting Vacant Houses”
April 24th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Honestly, “fresh paint?” Does anyone care about that? We just looked at a house that needs all new doors; all new windows; new kitchen cabinets; possibly a new roof; all three bathrooms gutted and replaced, BUT IT WAS FRESHLY PAINTED! It doesn’t make a dime’s worth of difference to me if I have to do all that other work. Painting is the cheapest and easiest thing to do, which is why it’s so often mentioned in listing descriptions. Hopefully buyers don’t fall for it, but there’s a sucker born every minute.
Sorry, I’m bitter. It ain’t a buyer’s market — not even close.
April 24th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Disco,
The bitterness is shining through today! I should have described it better… it is dated but is in move-in condition… what I was trying to state was that it wasn’t a junk house… it was a respectable house that should have been treated as such.